Testing FAQs

Please contact Admissions at 931-221-7661 to verify that you need to take the Accuplacer exam. The Admissions Office determines which prospective students need testing.

If you are placed into an "enhanced" Math or English course you can take the Accuplacer to "challenge" your placement.

Accuplacer is offered every week at the Clarksville campus and on most Fridays at the Ft. Campbell campus.  To see times and dates that are still available please go to the registration page at www.registerblast.com/apsu/Exam/List . An appointment is required for testing.  Online testing options are available for a $20 charge.  For students that live out of the area and wish to test at a physical location, the Testing Center can find testing sites near you (you will be subject to the testing center fees at which you test).

Absolutely.  However, the policy is that the scores be from an Accuplacer, SAT or ACT exam taken within the last 5 years.  Those are the only exam scores that APSU will accept and they must be within the 5 year time frame.  You will need to request your other school/testing site send an official copy to the Testing Center.  Scores submitted directly from the student will not be accepted.  Institutions may mail scores to PO Box 4548, Clarksville, TN  37044 or email them to admissions@apsu.edu .

The Accuplacer website has a free study app.  The sections currently given on Austin Peay's Accuplacer test are the Next Generation Version of Reading Comprehension, Sentence Skills and QAS (Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra and Statistics). There is also a study app on the TN Electronic Library website www.tntel.info.

The Testing Center does require an appointment for testing. You must register online here to make an appointment.

There is no charge to take the Accuplacer exam the first time if you have an application submitted to Austin Peay.  If you are retesting, there is a $20 fee.  If you are not an APSU applicant there is a $20 fee for testing and a voucher from your other school is required.  Online testing is $20, and remote testing set up at another testing site is subject to that site's fees. There is no charge the first time if you are "challenging" a placement in a course with a learning support lab.

Hand-held calculators are not permitted on the test unless it is an approved accommodation through our Office of Student Disability Resource Center.  The QAS (Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics) portion has a built-in calculator that is available only for some questions.  All others must be solved using scratch paper provided by the proctor.

You must bring a valid, unexpired, government issued photo ID (driver's license, passport, military ID) on test day. If you do not have any of these please call the testing center and we will provide you with a form that will need to be notarized before testing.  Scratch paper and pencil will be provided to you.  Please do not bring watches with alarms, food or drink, guests (including children), or any distracting objects.

The Accuplacer test is untimed.  On average you can expect to spend about 45 minutes on each section.  There are approximately 20 questions for Reading Comprehension, 25 questions for Writing and 20 questions for QAS (Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics).

The Accuplacer test is not graded on a pass/fail range.  However, there is a minimum score required in each section to be eligible for admission.  The Accuplacer placement test is only one component of the admission criteria, and even a perfect score does not ensure admission to the university.  This test is only to determine your academic level in reading, writing and math. 

If you are testing for APSU your score will be displayed immediately when you finish the exam.  A testing center staff member will explain your scores to you and will enter them into the system for the Admission Office to process.  If you are testing for a special program such as Dual Enrollment or Middle College, you will not see your scores; they will be sent directly to the designated contact person for your program.

You may request that a remote location be located for you by submitting the online request or contacting the Testing Center at testingcenter@apsu.edu.    If you know where you would like to the take the test, please include that in your request.  If the testing site is listed in our database, we will issue a voucher number and your scores will automatically be sent to us when you finish the test.  You will be responsible for paying any fees charged by the administering institution.  To submit the request online please click here.

We are closed on Saturdays and Sundays.  Our office is open Monday thru Friday from 7:30 am until 4:00 pm.  Please see our testing schedule for onsite test dates.  Online options are available for a fee.  Contact the Testing Center at (931) 221-6269 or testingcenter@apsu.edu for more information.

All tests require at least one valid government issued photo ID.

• CLEP also requires an admission ticket that is to be printed off from the College Board website at the time of registration. You may also present an e-copy of your ticket. 

You must bring any required identification, fees (if applicable), and allowed testing supplies depending on the test you are taking.  Calculators are not allowed on the Accuplacer, CLEP or TEAS exams.  Our center will provide scratch paper and pencils.  Please do not bring watches with alarms, food or drink, guests (including children), or any distracting objects.

The Testing Center is open Monday thru Friday from 7:30 am until 4:00 pm.

• To schedule an Accuplacer, CLEP, or TEAS exam please register online. 

Test duration times are listed below.  Please note these times do not include check-in/check-out time or tutorial/sample sections of exams.

• CLEP exams are generally 1 hour and 30 minutes, unless the test has an accompanying essay.
• Accuplacer tests are un-timed but approximately run about 45 minutes per section (3 sections). 
• The TEAS exam is approximately 3 1/2 hours.

• The Accuplacer website has a free study app.  The sections currently given on Austin Peay's Accuplacer test are the NextGen versions of Reading, Writing, and QAS (Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra and Statistics). 
• The CLEP website has study materials available online as well as books that can be purchased. There is also a partnership with www.modernstates.org that provides free preparation courses and vouchers for free CLEP exams.  See the website for more information.

CLEP and TEAS scores are available only through their respective websites. You will receive an unofficial score report the day of testing, but all official scores are sent to the recipient institution directly from the testing company.  The Testing Center does not provide official score reports for these tests.

You may request your official scores for the Accuplacer exam by completing the Score Request Form. 

• CLEP - Austin Peay State University requires the recommended ACE score of 50. Institutions do have the right to set their own minimum scores, so please verify the passing score with your recipient institution.
• TEAS - Check with the Nursing department for required score information.